In the self-blue Belgian D'Anvers, I am told that there is a problem with yellowing of the feathers, in older birds, especially, that occurs quite frequentaly. I was informed that if you breed a black cock bird back every third generation, that the problem with the yellow feathers will be avoided. I would welcome comments and suggestions from those knowledgeable in genetics to help me understand the
The default pigment that is produced is pheomelanin or the brown red pigment. Melanocytes have to be stimulated to produce the black. If you bred for darker gray lavendar birds it would probably do the same thing as breeding in a black every once in a while to get the black modifiers that you are loosing by not selecting for them.
Rokimoto, I think we discussed the self blue back a ways but i cant find it yet. i was thinking you said it is gray not blue in genetic terms. Is that correct. And what is your input on the egg, embryo size when full size is put to a bantam size. thankyou
Lavendar birds are most often called self blues because they usually do not have the lacing of the Andalusian blues. Belgians have the recessive lavendar blue and not the dominant Andalusian type blue.
overall scheme of the self-blues. Thanks.
By Rokimoto on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 11:08 am:
By Robbpa on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 02:57 pm:
By Rokimoto on Friday, February 15, 2002 - 12:08 am:
Chicks will grow to the size of the egg except when it is too small like pullet eggs. There is some means that the embryo seems to have to regulate it's size in the egg. This regulation has its limits. Small bantam eggs may be too small for the hybrids between really differently sized birds. You can have very large birds lay small eggs. My line of inbred Australorps lay the smallest egg that I get, but they are the normal size of standard Australorps.